Likud (), officially known as Likud – National Liberal Movement (), is a major right-wing political party in Israel. It was founded in 1973 by Menachem Begin and Ariel Sharon in an alliance with several right-wing parties. Likud's landslide victory in the 1977 elections was a major turning point in the country's political history, marking the first time the left had lost power. In addition, it was the first time in Israel that a right-wing party received the most votes. After ruling the country for most of the 1980s, the party lost the Knesset election in 1992. Likud's candidate Benjamin Netanyahu won the vote for prime minister in 1996 and was given the task of forming a government after the 1996 elections following Yitzak Rabin's assassination. Netanyahu's government fell apart after a vote of no confidence, which led to elections being called in 1999 and Likud losing power to the One Israel coalition led by Ehud Barak.
In 2001 Likud's Ariel Sharon, who replaced Netanyahu following the 1999 election, defeated Barak in an election called by the prime minister following his resignation. After the party recorded a convincing win in the 2003 elections, Likud saw a major split in 2005 when Sharon left to form the Kadima party. This resulted in Likud slumping to fourth place in the 2006 elections and losing 28 seats in the Knesset. Following the 2009 elections, Likud was able to gain 15 seats, and, with Netanyahu back in control of the party, formed a coalition with fellow right-wing parties Yisrael Beiteinu and Shas to take control of the government from Kadima, which earned a plurality, but not a majority. Netanyahu served as prime minister from then until 2021. Likud had been the leading vote-getter in each subsequent election until April 2019, when Likud tied with Blue and White and September 2019, when Blue and White won one more seat than the Likud. Likud won the most seats at the 2020 and 2021 elections, but Netanyahu was removed from power in June 2021 by an unprecedented coalition led by Yair Lapid and Naftali Bennett. He subsequently returned to the office of prime minister after winning the 2022 election.
A member of the party is called a Likudnik () and the party's election symbol is (), reflecting the party's origins as an electoral list of several pre-existing parties, including those who used the symbols <span dir="ltr">, and .</span>
History
Formation and leadership of Begin
The Likud was formed on 13 September 1973 as a secular party by an alliance of several right-wing parties prior to that year's legislative election—Herut, the Liberal Party, the Free Centre, the National List, and the Movement for Greater Israel. Herut had been the nation's largest right-wing party since growing out of the Irgun in 1948. It had already been in coalition with the Liberals since 1965 as Gahal, with Herut as the senior partner. Herut remained the senior partner in the new grouping, which was given the name Likud, meaning "Consolidation", as it represented the consolidation of the Israeli right. It worked as a coalition under Herut's leadership until 25 August 1988, when the member parties merged into a single party under the Likud name. From its establishment in 1973, Likud enjoyed great support from blue-collar Sephardim.
In its first election Likud won 39 seats, reducing the Alignment's lead to 12. The party went on to win the 1977 election with 43 seats, finishing 11 seats ahead of the Alignment. Menachem Begin formed a government with the support of the religious parties, consigning the left wing to opposition for the first time since independence. A former leader of the hard-line paramilitary Irgun, Begin signed the 1978 Camp David Accords and the 1979 Egypt–Israel peace treaty. In the 1981 election, the Likud won 48 seats, but formed a narrower government than in 1977.
Likud has long been a loose alliance between politicians committed to different and sometimes opposing policy preferences and ideologies. The 1981 election highlighted divisions that existed between the populist wing of Likud, headed by David Levy of Herut, and the Liberal wing, who represented a policy agenda of the secular bourgeoisie. He was replaced by Yitzhak Shamir, a former commander of the Lehi underground, who defeated Deputy Prime Minister David Levy in a leadership election held by Herut's central committee. Shamir was seen as a hard-liner, who opposed the Camp David accords and Israel's withdrawal from Southern Lebanon. The party won 41 seats in the 1984 election, less than the Alignment's 44. The Alignment was unable to form a government on its own, leading to the formation of a rotation government, led jointly by the Alignment and Likud. Shimon Peres became the prime minister, with Shamir becoming the foreign minister. In October 1986, the two switched posts. The Likud won the 1988 election, defeating the Alignment by a one-seat Margin. The two parties formed another government, in which Shamir served as prime minister without a rotation. In 1990 Peres withdrew from the government and led a successful vote of no confidence against it, in what became known as the dirty trick. Shamir formed a new government with right-wing parties, which served until the 1992 election, in which the Likud was defeated by Yitzhak Rabin's Labor Party.
Shamir stepped down as Likud leader after losing the election in March 1993. To replace him, the party held its first primary election, in which former United Nations Ambassador Benjamin Netanyahu defeated David Levy, Benny Begin and Moshe Katsav, becoming the Leader of the Opposition. In 1995, following the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin, Shimon Peres, his temporary successor, decided to call early elections in order to give the government a mandate to advance the peace process. The election was held in May 1996, and included a direct vote for the prime minister in which Netanyahu narrowly defeated Peres, becoming the new prime minister.
right|thumb|Logo of the Likud-Tzomet List from the [[1996 Israeli general election|1996 election]]
In 1998 Netanyahu agreed to cede territory in the Wye River Memorandum, which led some Likud MKs, led by Benny Begin (Menachem Begin's son), Michael Kleiner and David Re'em, to break away and form a new party, named Herut – The National Movement. The new party was endorsed by Yitzhak Shamir, who expressed disappointment in Netanyahu's leadership. Following the withdrawal of his remaining partners, Netanyahu's coalition collapsed in December 1998, resulting in the 1999 election, where Labor's Ehud Barak defeated Netanyahu on a platform promoting the settlement of final status issues. Following his defeat, Netanyahu stepped down as leader of Likud. That September, former Defense Minister Ariel Sharon won a leadership election to replace Netanyahu, defeating Jerusalem Mayor Ehud Olmert and former Finance Minister Meir Sheetrit.
Barak's government collapsed in December 2000, several months after the Camp David Summit ended without an agreement, and early elections for Prime Minister were called for February 2001, in which Sharon decisively defeated Barak. In 2002 Netanyahu challenged Sharon in a leadership election, but was defeated. During Sharon's tenure, Likud faced an internal split due to Sharon's policy of unilateral disengagement from Gaza and parts of the West Bank, which proved extremely divisive within the party.
Sharon and Kadima split
Sharon's Disengagement Plan alienated him from some Likud supporters and fragmented the party. He faced several serious challenges to his authority shortly before his departure. The first was in March 2005, when he and Netanyahu, then his finance minister, proposed a budget plan that met fierce opposition from the opposition and parties to the Likud's right. The plan passed the Knesset's finance committee by a one-vote margin, before being approved by the Knesset by a wider margin later that month. The second was in September 2005, when Sharon's critics in the Likud, led by Netanyahu, forced a vote in the Likud's central committee on a proposal for an early leadership election, which was defeated by 52% to 48%. In November, Sharon's opponents within the Likud joined with the opposition to prevent the appointment of three of his associates to the Cabinet, successfully preventing the appointment of two.
On 20 November 2005 Labor announced its withdrawal from Sharon's governing coalition following the election of the left-wing Amir Peretz as its leader. On 21 November 2005, Sharon announced he would be leaving the Likud and forming a new centrist party, Kadima. The new party included both Likud and Labor supporters of unilateral disengagement. Sharon also announced that an election would take place in early 2006. Seven candidates had declared themselves as contenders to replace Sharon as leader: Netanyahu, Uzi Landau, Shaul Mofaz, Yisrael Katz, Silvan Shalom and Moshe Feiglin. Landau and Mofaz later withdrew, the former in favour of Netanyahu and the latter to join Kadima.
Netanyahu's second term
Netanyahu went on to win a leadership election to replace Sharon in December, obtaining 44.4% of the vote. Silvan Shalom came in second with 33%, while far-right candidate Moshe Feiglin achieved 12.4% of the vote. Due to Shalom's performance, Netanyahu guaranteed him the second place on the party's list of Knesset candidates. Polls before the 2006 election showed a substantial reduction in the Likud's support, with Kadima achieving a dominant polling lead.
right|thumb|A truck canvassing for Likud in [[Jerusalem in advance of the 2006 election]]
In January 2006 Sharon suffered a stroke that left him in a vegetative state, leading to his replacement as Kadima leader by Ehud Olmert, who led Kadima to victory in the election, winning 29 seats. The Likud experienced a substantial loss in support, coming in fourth place and winning only 12, while other right-wing nationalist parties such as Yisrael Beiteinu, which came within 116 votes of overtaking Likud, gained votes. After the election, Netanyahu was re-elected Likud Leader in 2007, defeating Feiglin and World Likud Chairman Danny Danon.
Following the opening of several criminal investigations against Olmert, he resigned as prime minister on 21 September 2008 and retired from politics. In the ensuing snap election, held in 2009, Likud won 27 seats, the second-largest number of seats and one seat less than Kadima, now led by Tzipi Livni. However, Likud's allies won enough seats to allow Netanyahu to form a government, which included Likud, Yisrael Beiteinu, Shas, United Torah Judaism, The Jewish Home, and Labor. Labor left the coalition in 2011 after party leader Ehud Barak left to form his own party, Independence, that remained a member of Netanyahu's government. The next year, Netanyahu was re-elected as Likud leader, defeating Moshe Feiglin. Kadima then joined the coalition in May 2012 before leaving in July. Following Kadima's withdrawal from the government and amid disagreements related to the 2013 budget, the Knesset was dissolved in October 2012 and a snap election was called for January 2013.
Partnership with Yisrael Beitenu and 2015 election
Several days after the election was called on 25 October 2012, Netanyahu and Yisrael Beitenu leader Avigdor Lieberman announced that their respective political parties would run together on a single ballot in the election under the name Likud Yisrael Beiteinu. The move led to speculation that Lieberman would eventually seek the leadership of Likud after he stated that he "wanted to become the Prime Minister". Several days before the election, Lieberman said the parties would not merge, and that their direct partnership would end after the election. The partnership ultimately lasted until July 2014, when it officially dissolved.
In the 2013 elections the Likud–Yisrael Beiteinu alliance won 31 seats, 20 of which were Likud members. The second largest party, Yair Lapid's Yesh Atid, won 19. Netanyahu continued as prime minister after forming a coalition with Yesh Atid, the Jewish Home, and Hatnuah. The government collapsed in December 2014 due to disagreements over the budget and the proposed Nation-state bill, triggering a snap election the next year.
Likud won the 2015 election, defeating the Zionist Union, an alliance of Labor and Hatnuah, winning 30 seats to the Zionist Union's 24. The party subsequently formed a government with United Torah Judaism, Shas, Kulanu, and the Jewish Home. In May 2016, Yisrael Beitenu joined the government, before leaving in December 2018, causing Netanyahu to call a snap election for April 2019.
2019–2022 elections
During the course of the April 2019 Israeli legislative election campaign, Likud facilitated the formation of the Union of Right-Wing Parties between the Jewish Home, Tkuma and Otzma Yehudit by providing a slot on its own electoral list to Jewish Home candidate Eli Ben-Dahan. In the aftermath of the election, Kulanu merged into Likud.
During the September 2019 Israeli legislative election campaign, Likud agreed to a deal with Zehut, whereby the latter party would drop out of the election and endorse Likud in exchange for a ministerial post for its leader, Moshe Feiglin, as well as policy concessions.
Prior to the 2020 Israeli legislative election Gideon Sa'ar unsuccessfully challenged Netanyahu for the Likud leadership. In December of that year, Sa'ar left Likud, along with four other Likud MKs, to form New Hope.
Prior to the 2021 Israeli legislative election, Gesher merged into Likud, receiving a slot on its electoral list. 2021 marked the first time that Likud put a Muslim on its slate, choosing Muslim school principal Nail Zoabi for 39th on its slate.
Likud also facilitated the formation of a joint list between the Religious Zionist Party, Otzma Yehudit and Noam by providing the Religious Zionist Party a slot on the Likud list. On 14 June, after the swearing-in of the 36th government, Ofir Sofer who held the slot, split from the Likud faction and returned to the Religious Zionist Party, decreasing the Likud faction by one to 29 seats in the Knesset.
Likud won the most seats in the 2022 Israeli legislative election.
Ideological positions
Likud emphasizes national security policy based on a strong military force when threatened with continued enmity against Israel. It has shown reluctance to negotiate with its neighbors whom it believes continue to seek the destruction of the Jewish state, that based on the principle of the party founder Menachem Begin concerning the preventive policy to any potential attacks on State of Israel. Its suspicion of neighboring Arab nations' intentions, however, has not prevented the party from reaching agreements with Israel's neighbors, such as the 1979 peace treaty with Egypt. Likud's willingness to enter mutually accepted agreements with neighboring countries over the years is related to the formation of other right-wing parties. Like other right-wing parties in Israel, Likud politicians have sometimes criticized particular Supreme Court decisions, but it remains committed to rule of law principles that it hopes to entrench in a written constitution.
Likud is considered to be the leading party in the national camp in Israeli politics.
Territory
The original 1977 party platform stated that "between the Sea and the Jordan there will only be Israeli sovereignty."
The 1999 Likud Party platform emphasized the right of settlement:
Similarly, they claim the Jordan River as the permanent eastern border to Israel and it also claims Jerusalem as belonging to Israel.
The 'Peace & Security' chapter of the 1999 Likud Party platform rejects a Palestinian state: